Following the publication of Helping Kids Succeed—Alaskan Style, 
the Association of Alaska School Board’s Alaska Initiative for Community Engagement (Alaska ICE) wanted to promote the message of Developmental Assets to early childhood educators. In a similar manner to what was done for the first book, staff went out into communities and asked people how they thought families, caregivers, faith communities, and the community at large could build Developmental Assets for young children.
The staff collected stories and ideas from people in communities large and small across Alaska. These stories, together with asset-building tools and information, were compiled in a book written by and for Alaskans, Helping Little Kids Succeed — Alaskan Style. While the book is Alaskan in origin, its content is applicable to communities around the globe.
The book has been distributed all over the state. Whenever representatives from Alaska ICE make presentations to communities, school boards, or other groups, they bring copies of the book to hand out. It has been sent to health care and child-care facilities, and has been used by the Alaska Association for the Education of Young Children. The book has also been used in training child-care providers, and for teaching early childhood development in college, providing the foundation for web-based training modules that can be accessed by people all over the state, no matter how rural or isolated.
People from all over Alaska feel a sense of ownership about the book. Asset-building ideas in the book are identified with the community they came from, and communities feel a sense of pride is felt when their contributions are recognized alongside the ideas and stories from different communities and cultures across the state. The book shows its readers the common-sense nature of the asset framework, reminding them that building Developmental Assets is something they can do, and it positively reinforces the good things they are already doing.
For more information on Alaska ICE, visit their website.
To order Helping Little Kids Succeed—Alaskan Style, go to the Alaska ICE Store
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